The following is my review of the Fantasy Shopping Table (FST): A random encounter generator for D&D, by Jason Bradley Thompson.

A San Francisco native, Jason is a talented author and game designer. He is from Mockman Press, and well-known to fans of D&D for his comic walk-throughs of classic adventures. Longtime B3 readers may recall our review of Jason’s hit game, Mangaka, or our review of his unique D&D5e divine caster class, The Priestess. FST has great artwork by Konstantin Pogorelov, as well as an easy-to-navigate layout by Jumana Al Hashal.

In the author’s words, “Fantasy Shopping Table gives adventurers who like shopping as many plot hooks as adventurers who like binge-drinking in seedy establishments.” FST makes buying gear and items more exciting than simply looking up the item in the Player’s Handbook. The FST separates markets into Common and Black, a designation which affects both the cost of items, and their availability.

What I especially like about FST is that a player’s background factors into the shopping experience. Backgrounds are often forgotten immediately after character creation. Additionally, FST is packed with dozens of tables that leads to deals, steals, double-crosses, fights and adventures.

Fantasy Shopping Table is available now on the Dungeon Master’s Guide, where the
16-page PDF retails for $2.99. Personally, I think it is worth every penny as it creates a more dynamic downtime shopping experience.

The following is a review of the board game, Mangaka, by Jason Thompson (better known as Mockman). You might remember our review of Jason’s excellent D&D class, the Priestess (available on DM’s Guild). You’ll also recognize Jason’s distinctive art style from his hilarious D&D walk-through maps of classic adventure modules.

Mangaka

Mangaka (Japanese for a comic artist) is the “fast and furious game of drawing comics”. In Mangaka you play as manga artists trying to achieve fame in a comic world of ever-shifting tastes, trends, and fads. The game is very easy to learn and play and only has three rules. No, you read that correctly, Mangaka has just three rules:

Express your themes

Draw something in each panel

No more than three word balloons are allowed each round

Each player gains fame for following the rules, drawing their obsessions, and carrying out the special instructions on their theme cards. Notice that your drawing skill (or lack thereof) does not come into play. You do not need to be an artist to play or enjoy this game (in fact, we find the opposite to be true, the worse the artist, the more fun). After four progressively difficult rounds, each player will have a complete comic masterpiece suitable for framing or shaming.

The game has an obvious manga flavor, but can be enjoyed by anyone. The idea of drawing a comic strip is easy for anyone to pick up. With variant rules both in the rulebook and on the Mangaka website (mangakagame.com) and different difficulty modes, this game has a ton of replay value.

One aspect of this game that players will truly appreciate is that it can be played solo (or Han-Style for those in the know). It is hard to find board games that offer a one-player variant and this rule allows for maximum replay value. Aside from the obvious entertainment of solo-play, an aspiring manga artist could actually benefit from having to work under a timetable and forcing themselves to draw content that is outside of their comfort level.

Well-Supported Web Content

Mangakagame.com is an excellent resource that adds greatly to the value of the game. The site is routinely updated with frequently-asked questions and errata. There are also variant rules, a hilarious gallery of comics and art, and a place to download additional drawing paper to replenish the pad of comic cells included in the game.

Designers

Jason Bradley Thompson – serves as the game’s lead designer. Thompson is a talented artist and author; he wrote Manga: The Complete Guide (available from Random House), and also illustrated an exquisite collection of H.P. Lovecraft stories entitled, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath & Other Stories (available from Mockman Press). Jason is also an avid player and fan of Dungeons & Dragons and has illustrated several humorous walk-through maps of famous D&D adventures like Tomb of Horrors and White Plume Mountain.

Thompson was aided in the production of the game by producer/graphic designer Jumana Al Hashal, interior game artist, Eric Muentes, and cover artist, Ike whose last name must be hidden from the Yakuza to protect his family.

Mangaka at a glance

1-8 players, aged 12 and up (rules for a younger audience can be found on the website)

Takes about 30 – 60 minutes (longer for bigger groups, or if alcohol is involved)

Targeted at teens and up

You don’t need to be an artist to play

Game Components

136 Theme Cards

52 Trend Cards

160 Fame Tokens

Comic Pages (blank)*

Rule Book

Mangaka is easy to learn, fast to play and will appeal to a diverse audience. Pick up your copy from Amazon, Japanime Games, or Mangakagames.com.

Priestess is a new core class for D&D 5e created by Jason Bradley Thompson. You may recognize Jason’s art style (he wrote the module and drew the interior art) from his humorous walk through maps of classic D&D modules. Priestess has an old school feel, but fits the 5e rules system nicely. The product is a great example of how DMs can sculpt 5e to feel like any previous edition. Thompson has a great deal of experience as a DM and that shows in the quality of the product.

What is a priestess? From the product:

“The priestess is based on two things: (1) the historical priests of real-world ancient cultures and (2) the sword & sorcery archetype of the “high priest,” a (usually evil) character with mysterious magical powers.”

Examples of the idols worshiped by the priestess class

Overall, I think this is a solid, well-balanced character class. It would work best in a campaign centered in an urban setting, especially one set in an earlier age like ancient Greece, Egypt, or the like. In my opinion some highlights of Priestess include:

Publisher: Dungeon Masters GuildWelcome dear reader to Hamund and rsquo;s Harvesting Handbook, written by none other than I, Hamund Holderhek! But who am I you ask? Well, I am an adventurer at heart, a writer by passion, and a harvester at trade. I have travelled the many planes of the multiverse in search of adventure and story (for more of those stories, p […]

Publisher: Dungeon Masters GuildLaunch Sale! For a short time only, this title is just $9.95 $7.95! and nbsp; Over two thousand years ago, a philosopher-general named Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War, the seminal work on military strategy. Discover how you can use these ancient secrets to master the game of Dungeons and amp; Dragons! This book has the following […]

Publisher: Dungeon Masters GuildI want to loot the thing! When brave adventurers face the dangers of the world, they want something to show for it. This supplement provides individual loot for each monster in the Monster Manual, as well as a basic crafting and harvesting system that works well with 5th Edition Dungeons and amp; Dragons. and nbsp; With this s […]

Publisher: Dungeon Masters GuildWelcome to Keeping It Classy: The Barbarian This book aims to give you a host of new options for the Barbarian class, to liven up your game. This includes the following: 15 new Barbarian Paths 5 new backgrounds (usable by everyone, but thematically appropriate for Barbarians) 1 new race (the redscale lizardfolk - a semi-civili […]

Publisher: Dungeon Masters GuildVillains and amp; Lairs III FREE Expand your game with this collection of and nbsp;8 NPCs of various challenge ratings, one of which includes and map and details of its lair. Add these NPCs as a and nbsp;side-quest, a main villain, a one-shot, a and nbsp;bounty for easy money, or and nbsp;however and nbsp;else you wish. and nb […]

Publisher: Dungeon Masters GuildReturn to the Ghost Tower of Inverness This is a familiar scene. Shackled. Bound. The same faces surround you as the last time you were inthis dark, dank cell. Your friends, your party members. You and rsquo;ve been told that your actions have led todeath and destruction near and far, but you were only doing what was demanded […]

Publisher: Dungeon Masters GuildLimited-time introductory price of just $6.95! Take the characters adventuring on the savage seas! Encounters on the Savage Seas II contains 16 mini-adventures and includes NPCs, locations, new creatures, and magic items to add to your nautical adventures. We and rsquo;ve even included scaling suggestions so they can be used w […]

Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild "To all available sellswords and adventurers: The town desperately needs sentries, if only for a day. The council promises a generous reward in gold and perks. Visit the Administrator in the town hall at your earliest convenience. Pastries and tea will be offered." - Administrator Mandy Otter This is a collection of […]

Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild"Few men have been brave enough to challenge a dragon without an army at his back, and fewer still have lived to tell the tale. Dragons are cunning beasts, with a deep thirst- whether it be for blood, knowledge, or justice, a dragon will always keep itself sated. Be wary of their kind." - and nbsp;Dragonslayer Fordea […]